Metabolic and reproductive response to energy supplementation in dairy cows in tropical highlands

Abstract

Dairy farms of the department of Nariño present nutritional concerns, especially in the transition period and early lactation, because of the energy imbalance of the diets, which causes deficiencies in the productive and reproductive activity of the cows. According to the above, the main idea was to study the metabolic behavior in the transition period and early lactation of dairy cows supplemented energetically with bypass fat in the tropical highlands of Nariño (Colombia), 21 cows (Holstein x Simmental cross) of second and third lactation period were selected. They were distributed in three treatments with seven animals each; the control treatment (T1) received a base diet (forage + concentrate) without fat supplementation; the second treatment (T2) had a base diet plus 250 g/day of bypass fat and the third (T3) had a base diet plus 250 g/day bypass fat enriched with omega 3. The experimental period ranged between days 15 of prepartum to day 105 of lactation, with an interval of 15 days among sampling. To evaluate the matabolyc performance, we evaluated in serum: non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA), betahydroxybutyrate (BHB), cholesterol, triglycerides, glucose, total proteins, albumin, BUN, and globulins. In addition, body condition and reproductive behavior were determined. The results indicated that there was no efect of treatments on metabolic performance, body condition, and reproductive activity. The energy indicators showed no changes, indicating an adequate supply energy supply in the diet; however, in the metabolites associated to nitrogen, differences in protein were observed. The values found in the variables, constitute a reference of the behavior and the nutritional conditions of the dairy farms in the region.

Metabolic indicators and their relationship with reproductive efficiency in dairy cows in the high tropics

“…In the case of estimating milk production for period three (P3), the variables involved, especially DMS, show that as lactation progresses for more than 180 days, the animals substantially improve body condition, as well as same energy metabolic indicators (NEFA, BHB), which gives as a response better reproductive efficiency observed in the intervals between births and services per conception. This efficacy in the NEB is consistent with the reports presented by García et al (2011), López et al (2017, and David et al (2018). In addition, it is important to highlight that the dietary scheme of dairy cows described in Table 1 favored that they do not present major changes in metabolic indicators during the periods evaluated.…”

Effect of bypass fat on milk lipid quality and reproductive efficiency of dairy cows

“…Significant differences were established at p<0.05. *ns indicates that the covariance was not significant in the first statistical test; therefore, it was removed from the model for this trait (David, 2018).…”